Always
by Polkat
Summary: Harry's 6th Christmas at Hogwarts sees Ron and Hermione finally realising their attraction to each other and as Harry watches their happiness he begins to realise where his own was hiding all along. H&G [obviously] and lots of R&Hr, just for good measure.


****

Authors Note: Welcome to my "oh so original, charmingly bohemian, tragically plotted story." Yes I admit, or possibly No, I admit, there is no plot. It's basically just a vignette based around another, yes another _[why?] _Yule Ball and Harry discovering that he doesn't want to go alone. And that he doesn't want to go alone with some one in particular. Nice sorta fluff, if you're into that, if not review me anyway because it'll make my day… oh how sad I am. There's also copious amounts of Ron/Hermione going on here and if Sirius were alive I'm sure he and Remus would have shown up. [Stuff in italics is in present tense on purpose by the way… just checking.]

Lastly, yes its almost time for the story, this would never have become a _"wonderful" _reality had it not been for Kyrissaean, who told me she disliked Harry/Ginny fluff in general, leaving me to boast that I could write one and then forcing me to do so.

*

"Ginny…" he clears his throat nervously. "There's something I want to ask you."

It was the beginning of the Christmas holidays of Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry and behind the large, heavily curtained windows snow fell delicately over the grounds. The Gryffindor common room was packed, because despite what Harry personally considered the complete failure of the last Yule Ball Hogwarts had seen, the headmaster had scheduled another this year. At least he wasn't a champion this time, Harry reflected sinking back into his chair, folding the corner of his page over [which merited a suppressed tut from Hermione's side of the table] and abandoning it, still mostly unread in front of him. At least this time he wouldn't be forced to humiliate himself first by having to find himself a partner and then trying to dance with said partner. 

There was a loud bang from the other side of the room as Dean's cards exploded spectacularly under his hand. Seamus' laughs were soon drowned out by a feminine shriek of delight .

"At last! Your knight is mine, Ronald Weasley!" 

Harry prized open an eyelid and grinned at Ginny's flushed face as she crowed over her brother. He turned back at Hermione. "Bet you anything you like by the time another minute's elapsed he will have taken both her knights, a bishop and her queen."

"I disagree," his friend replied, her eyes not leaving the page. "I think she's getting better."

"Five sickles?"

"I've lost too much money to you about him by now to take that bet though," she continued hardly listening to him.

Harry closed his eyes again and stretched his legs out underneath the table. 

Another explosion, followed this time by Seamus' startled yelps. 

"Fancy a game of exploding snap Herm?" he asked lazily.

"No and don't call me Herm."

"You let Ron do it," he remarked, a smile flickering over his mouth as he imagined the furious blush that rose up every time he brought up his other best friend in _that _context.

"That's diff-" she started.

"No! How did you…_ugh_!"

"That's chess Ginny," Ron replied cheerfully. "It can turn against you in a moment." 

Harry opened his eyes again and swivelled so he could look over his shoulder at the pair of redheads. "How many of your pieces has he got Gin?"

"Three and her queen," her brother answered beaming. "I think she's getting worse."

Harry grinned back and turned round to Hermione who was trying to glare at him. "How do you do that?"

"It's a gift," he admitted modestly. "That's why I don't play Ron any more; it's depressing to know just how badly I'll lose before I've even started."

"Hermione?"

"Ron?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Ron had obviously granted his sister a moment to formulate a counter attack and was now standing slightly behind Harry's chair, leaving Ginny pouring over the chess board.

"You _are _talking," Harry pointed out helpfully.

The tips of Ron's ears went pink and he muttered something about it not being that important anyway and he should probably be checking on Ginny in case she was cheating. 

Harry smiled to himself as the familiar phrases filled the air once more. "I'll go see her," he declared rising with difficulty from the chair he had been happily ensconced in for the past three hours. "I have great experience in losing to Ron," he explained cheerfully moving away from the chess board. "I think it's time I shared my wisdom around."

Ginny was still glowering at her chess men who were shouting various pieces of advice in piping voices over the top of each other so that no single comment was distinguishable from the giant sound collage. 

"Having trouble?" Harry asked softly, slipping into Ron's seat.

She jumped and turned the killer glare over to him. "Help or leave." She paused slightly, assessing him. "By the way you're looking very smug."

"I just won the _"When will Ron and Hermione get together?" _poll. Not only am I now several galleons richer but its very satisfying to know you knew your best friends were meant for each other before they did."

"They're together?"

"Yer."

"Damn them. Couldn't they have waited till January 25th? They've waited six years already another month wouldn't be such a hardship."

He grinned, examined the board briefly and prodded one of Ron's chessmen into another square. "How's that? Now, you can check mate him in two moves."

The knight in question slid angrily back to its original place and smacked Harry round the finger with its miniature sword. 

Harry swore and the tiny stone man yelled "no cheating bozo!" causing Ginny's frown to dissolve into giggles.

"I hope you lose," he remarked bitterly.

"I fear I shall." A melodramatic sigh. "You know its actually getting quite embarrassing. I don't know why I don't just give up."

"I already have. Here, try moving your rook this way."

"Yes I know, I heard you telling Hermione." She looked at the castle in question. "Are you mad?"

"What's wrong with that move?" he replied defensively. "Oh wait, sorry."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, both pretending to formulate the master strategy that would finally topple Ron from his undisputed position as Hogwart's Chess Champion; apparently the man in question did not intend to return for a long time but neither of them noticed. 

"Ok, I have a plan," Ginny announced finally.

"Oh," he replied, disappointed for some reason. He rose and moved away from her. "Good. I'll go and detach Ron from Hermione." 

"Mmm," she replied, concentrating on the chessmen again, hair falling over of her face, framing it in fire.

He sat back down again.

"Ginny…" she looked up and he found that he had somehow lost the power of speech. Nervously he cleared his throat. "There's something I want to ask you."

He paused waiting for a response but other than a quizzical raising of her eyebrows she offered nothing else. 

__

Ok, now or never.

"Ginny… willyougototheYuleBallwithme?"

She didn't blush, but her cheeks became slightly pinker and her eyes narrowed. "Feeling left out, are we Harry?"

"No, Gin…"

Her voice was rising. "Because if you think I'll just fall into your arms any time you call, you have another thing coming." She flicked moodily and her captured pieces. "That singing valentine wasn't even from me you know."

"Oh…yer," Harry assured her, thinking about the shrieking card that was at present wedged between the pages of his History of Magic textbook and wishing he hadn't kept it. "Fred and George right?"

"I don't know."

Another silence, this one no longer comfortable.

"Ginny?" he ventured eventually. She looked up with eyes that were still flashing dangerously. "I haven't asked any one else, nor will I ask anyone else if you say no."

She didn't say anything else and Harry, not knowing what else to do, kept talking, the words getting faster and faster as he continued to speak until they were running together.

"I'd like to say that I've always noticed you like that, you know that's what the heroes in those romantic novels always says isn't it? Not that I've read them," he laughed nervously, "it's just Hermione reads them out in the common room to embarrass Ron which is actually very funny" he paused "unlike the current situation." Something that might have been a smile tugged at the corner of Ginny's mouth; Harry didn't notice. "But anyway, I've been thinking a lot recently, about you, about Ron and Hermione and perhaps you're right, perhaps I do just feel left out but I think its jealousy, not of Ron going out with Hermione, or not in the usual way anyway but because he _has _something like that with someone, you know what I mean? And I've been thinking that I'd like something like what it is they've got, whatever it is. This is all very eloquent, sweeping you off your feet here, aren't I? But anyway then you dumped Dean and I was so glad and then…well, there's this." He sighed and murmured _"Accio 'History of Magic'."_

The large book soared gracefully into the room and seeker reflexes caught it deftly and let it fall open on page 357. 

"I don't know why I kept it…as a reminder of Fred and George's undying affection it would appear," he remarked dryly.

"I sent it," she whispered.

"You did? But I thought…"

"I lied."

"Oh. Good. Great, I mean. Well not about lying, that's bad isn't it? But anyway…"

"Do you really want to go with me?" she asked quietly.

"More than anything," he said and realised he meant it. "Do you want to go with me, even a little bit?"

Ginny looked up through eyes that sparkled. "Perhaps," she conceded, smiling slightly. "Just a little bit."

__

Across the room Ron wraps his arms more tightly around his new girl friend who he's loved forever. Together they wait for Harry to make a fool of himself and they share the same knowing smile as he takes Ginny's hand in his own across the Chess Board.

"Looks like we may have a contender for cutest new couple," Ron remarks, amused. Then he laughs. Hermione who doesn't think this is a moment for laughing tries to look sternly up at him which only makes him laugh harder.

"Honestly, Ron," she sighs. "What are _you laughing at?"_

"I'm not sure. I think perhaps it's the wonderful feeling of superiority, its very satisfying to know I knew they were meant for each other before they did." 

"Hey Ron, I think you're in check," Harry yells across the common room.

"I'm what?!" he exclaims horrified. "Hermione, I-"

She smiles indulgently. "Just go." 


End file.
